Reborn in the 80s: Everyone Falls For Me
Chapter 283 - 282: Protecting the Short (1)

Chapter 283: Chapter 282: Protecting the Short (1)

After Jin Yu left, Xu Niannian ran over to Nanshui Road again.

Yang Cuihua and Xu Dawei had also returned to their shop, while Chen Xiaorou and Du Wenwen continued working, making Butter Sauce and specialty stock in the apartment rented for them by Xu Niannian to supply the shop’s business.

Wu Lan rarely visited the capital and naturally wanted to spend some time at her parents’ home.

So she did not come back immediately.

What Wu Lan was most satisfied with was her daughter-in-law; having finally gained a beautiful one, who could also cook deliciously, how could she not boast tirelessly?

While playing mahjong with a group of friends, one of Wu Lan’s close sisters chuckled and said to her,

"Since you’ve come back, the smile hasn’t left your face. What, did you come across some good fortune?"

Wu Lan squinted, placing down an eight of bamboo, and upon hearing the words, she grinned so widely that her mouth could hardly close.

"Certainly, haven’t you heard that my son got married? You know, my son has never been interested in women, and since he was young, how many girls chased after him, yet he never showed anyone a pleasant face."

"I don’t know how many dates I’ve arranged for him, and he has never agreed to a marriage. It’s not just about declining matrimony; he’s never even properly dated a girl. Each time, he’d just leave on the spot. I even started to think that I wasn’t meant to have a daughter-in-law. You have no idea how anxious I was. But now, not only did my son get married, but he also really cares for my daughter-in-law. Can I not be happy? This means my eldest grandson is settled."

Wu Lan was extremely content, wishing the whole world knew that her son was married.

The first to ask her was her best friend, who also smiled upon hearing this: "You should be happy. I heard from my daughter that your daughter-in-law can cook incredibly well. When will you bring her over to cook us a delicious meal to try?"

Wu Lan’s friend, named Xu Ping, had been as close as sisters with Wu Lan since childhood. Later on, both of them married men in the same line of work and lived in the same complex, making their relationship even stronger.

The reason she knew Jin Yu’s daughter-in-law could cook well was because her own daughter was good friends with Jin Xiaoni.

If it weren’t for Wu Lan’s husband being transferred to Nancheng, they wouldn’t have been separated for so many years, but Wu Lan still returned every year, so their friendship hadn’t grown distant.

Speaking of food reminded Wu Lan of her daughter-in-law’s excellent cooking skills.

After hearing her friend’s request, Wu Lan unreservedly retorted, "Go on, she’s my daughter-in-law, not some nanny you think you can just order around to cook for you, haha, no way. I cherish my own daughter-in-law."

Finally having a blossom on her family’s iron tree, Wu Lan could not, because of herself, allow any estrangement between her daughter-in-law and son.

She wanted to be a good mother-in-law; how could she lightly order her daughter-in-law around?

Her family’s in-laws certainly held women in high regard over men. They doted on their precious daughter like a little princess. Now that she had married into their family, Wu Lan naturally couldn’t let her be wronged.

That is, unless her daughter-in-law was willing on her own.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ping immediately turned jealous, "I’ve never seen anyone who spoils their daughter-in-law like you. Just be careful not to let her walk all over you."

"Tsk, what are you talking about? I don’t like hearing that kind of talk. ’Walk all over my head?’ My son, Jin Yu, finally found a woman who cares for him, and what’s wrong with her walking over my head? Even stomping on it would be fine. I’d like to worship her as an ancestor. Besides, my daughter-in-law is not that kind of person."

After Wu Lan spoke her piece, the other three at the mahjong table helplessly shook their heads.

With such indulgence, what would the future hold?

When it came to her daughter-in-law, Wu Lan had an endless list of praises, "You don’t know how beautiful my daughter-in-law is, so charming. An old mother like me likes her just by looking, let alone my son Jin Yu, and on top of that, her cooking is outstanding."

"Moreover, my daughter-in-law is capable; she runs her own shop and earns money. None of you have tasted what she makes. Ay, it’s what I call a heavenly delight. That’s it, I can’t even talk about it without drooling."

The other three at the mahjong table had never tasted Xu Niannian’s cooking and naturally did not know how delicious it was.

Yet they felt Wu Lan was being overly dramatic and had all heard that the daughter-in-law of the Jin Yu family wasn’t much to look at.

As for running a small shop, what kind of skill was that?

Every one of them, stepping out into the capital, belonged to the class of women who no one dared to offend.

Naturally, they looked down on those who ran small businesses.

Moreover, a woman being so publicly active was unbecoming; having married into a grand household like the Jin family, she was still out doing business, it simply felt disgraceful.

Reform and opening up hadn’t been around for long, and both wives of officials and others looked down on women who were in business.

However, Wu Lan was still proudly discussing it.

But then again, it wasn’t strange, given her family was in business too.

Yet, no one dared look down on the business Wu Lan’s family ran—after all, it was of a different class.

Seeing Wu Lan so happy, no one seemed inclined to rain on her parade; after all, each of them was shrewd in their own right.

However, not everyone was willing to play along with Wu Lan.

Take Du Ruo sitting opposite Wu Lan, for instance.

Du Ruo was Yu Feifei’s mother.

Her daughter had always enjoyed following Jin Yu around since she was little.

Later on, when Wu Lan’s family moved to Nancheng, Jin Yu only returned once a year.

Yet each time he did, her daughter couldn’t wait to visit the Jin Yu family, and everyone in the entire courtyard knew of Feifei’s fondness for Jin Yu.

Feifei was renowned in the courtyard for being outstanding; she was beautiful, elegant, and lacked neither education nor cultural refinement, coming from a family with a good background.

Knowing her daughter liked Jin Yu, Du Ruo was initially quite pleased, feeling her daughter had good taste.

In the entire courtyard, the majority of the youngsters from each family were second-generation rich; bluntly put, they all depended on their families.

Only the Jin Family had produced two exceptional children.

Jin Yu and Jin Ruiyang.

Even with the Jin Yu family’s conditions, it would be considered a climb for her Feifei, but her own family wasn’t far behind.

Surprisingly, Jin Yu didn’t even spare her daughter a second glance.

That would have been fine, Du Ruo felt dissatisfied but dared not say anything to the Jin Family.

After all, romance was the affair of two willing hearts.

She had thought that if Jin Yu didn’t fancy someone as outstanding as her daughter, he would surely seek an even more remarkable partner.

Little did she expect that he would choose such a plain-looking woman, who, aside from her culinary skills, was completely unfit for public display.

How could Du Ruo accept this, feeling deeply indignant on behalf of her daughter?

So when she saw Wu Lan so pleased, boasting about her daughter-in-law, Du Ruo couldn’t help but remark, "No matter how good her cooking is, what use is that, Wu Lan? I’m not trying to criticize, but in families like ours, when we choose a wife, she at least has to be someone who can be of help. Your daughter-in-law may come from a modest background, but she even exposes herself in public, aren’t you afraid she will hold Jin Yu back?"

Despite Wu Lan’s usually jovial demeanor, she was sharp-witted and instantly grasped that Du Ruo’s comment stemmed from her discontent on her daughter’s behalf.

She felt that Jin Yu had failed to appreciate her daughter, like a person who has eyes but can’t see.

Wu Lan smiled too, maintaining her own composure. Rather than argue, she simply responded gently.

"A true man stands tall and upright. If he needs to rely on a woman’s family for everything, then he might as well be useless. Besides, our Jin Family doesn’t need anyone’s help; it’s others who hope for our assistance. I think my daughter-in-law is quite admirable, in fact, one of the most outstanding among the younger generation I’ve seen."

Wu Lan’s speech left Du Ruo with a flushed face, composed but striking with plain-spoken facts.

Her words were threefold stabs at Du Ruo.

Everyone knew about her son’s relationship with a female university student.

Because the student had no significant family background, Du Ruo forcibly split them apart, pressuring her son to marry another well-connected heiress from their courtyard.

This was the first cut, implying her son developed by relying on others, a good-for-nothing.

Claiming the Jin Family needed no help, just providing it, was the second cut.

Wasn’t that hinting that even if Feifei married into their family, it would be the Jin Family helping the Yu family?

And stating her daughter-in-law was the most outstanding among the younger generation was the third cut, insinuating that in Wu Lan’s eyes, Feifei couldn’t hold a candle to her own daughter-in-law.

While the first two points were undeniable, Du Ruo couldn’t agree with the last one.

And yet, she knew, for Wu Lan to speak thus, she must have been angered.

Continuing the debate would only upset Wu Lan further, so Du Ruo could only give a tight-lipped, forced smile: "It seems you’re quite pleased with your daughter-in-law."

Wu Lan did not mince her words: "Indeed, I am."